apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Another black cat!

I love the sideboard, just wish it were in a different color.

And I've been having this dilemma about a king-sized bed in a small bedroom, but you show that it can work. No more getting pushed off the bed by husbands and kitties!

Nice - feels calm and uncluttered.

Your artwork above the credenza looks crooked from the picture.

first5times-

I was just going to post that (about the cat) seems to be some secret society. I love it.

No pictures of the kitchen. I'm curious now.

The artwork seems at odds with the furniture. It's a nice place overall though. And you have a cute kitty...

"Having a smaller apartment forces us to live minimally. Everything that we have must be justified."

So how do you justify an oversize lounge chair in such a small apartment?

Me no likey, but I absolutely diagree with Joebelt. A lounge chair can be perfectly at home in a small apartment. Large furniture actually helps small space look larger because you can't have a lot of it. Lots of it just won't fit. Large furniture in small spaces allows you to work in bold, simple moves. The WORST thing you can do in a small space is have lots of little furniture pieces. They clutter up small spaces and make them feel smaller.

That being said, this apartment has some issues. It's a scale issue more than anything else. The small art on the walls looks so lonely. Almost EVERYTHING is the exact same size. Where is the variation. And while I am one for working with beige walls, you aren't getting any leverage out of these. Beige walls means your accessories have to work even harder and yours aren't picking up the slack.

really love that pear print. who's it by?

I LOVE your sofa and credenza!

I WANT that giant pear.

lol so i'm from michigan too and why do you have all that (indoor) furniture out on your porch already? did you dust the snow off everything before you took the picture?

I like how the framing cabinets next to the bed are all same size but the last one is smaller. Adding some twist to be not ordinary.

I think that's a marimekko pear:

http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=587&f=4069&viewall=1

And I like the fire print.

Good vibe. I like it.

my favourite thing is the floor plan (exclamationpoint)!

me too! floorplan!

This has a real feel like people actually live here and it's a sort of design which is within reach of average folks. I like the somewhat retro feel and the fact that it isn't so spartan that it looks like a staged shoot. I liked it and voted "super cool".

I think people can look to this sort of place for real inspiration.

I love the floorplan too. I think that sense of whimsy and fun shows up in the space, too. I really liked it.

I love how the black cat's face is just one big question mark: "What are you DOING?"

Your place seems spacious for 619ft. Cool image of a sofa(?) on fire in the cat photo! The placement of your white couch is interesting... the floor plan indicates that while sitting on the couch, you are facing the TV and the kitchen. Do you have a folding screen or something similar blocking the view of the kitchen? If not, do you mind seeing the kitchen while sitting on the couch?

I voted super cool just because I liked the balcony so much. It proves that not all deck furniture looks like deck furniture (which someone commented on another entry). Although I hope you pull some of that stuff inside when it snows!

this place is a bit boring to me. same chairs as everybody else, neutral color palette, requisite cat. it needs something(s) to kick it up a notch, thought i'm not sure what that is.
envious of your outdoor space.

Love the creativity of the floorplan! Best floorplan of entire contest so far. But to me the space doesn't really feel cohesive. Desk area seems cramped in that photo...I dunno. Cool.

I like the chairs on the balcony, but that's about it.

Wow, people seem strangely harsh on this place. I found it to be cozier-looking than many of the other places featured, more naturally styled, and with some great vintage pieces!

I'm wondering why the photo of the lounge chair was necessary? I can't really tell anything about the space from the photo. (Read: Is there a better angle that could have encompassed more?) And the desk behind the couch makes the space feel smaller. I'm wondering if you could move a piece of furniture (like put the the credenza behind the couch, or get a narrower desk)?

And the fire artwork is hung a tiny bit too high. :)

Otherwise, I think I like the space. Very homey feeling. A lot (too many?) yummy vintage chairs. Nice pops of color.

I think a lot of people are responding harshly to the picture of the chair in the first picture - which isnt fair to the owners. Its not a real Eames chair ala DWR so calm down folks!

I love the furniture on the patio, I love the cardboard coffee table, and I love the re-use of older pieces of furniture. I think a heck-of-a-lot of 'cool' factor comes not just from buying super sleek new stuff, but from caring for, restoring, and reusing old stuff.

Only the owner knows what is justifiable and what is not. If the lounge chair is used and loved than it's justifiable. Seriously some comments on these entries get a bit ridiculous.

Nice space. :) It's not really my style but I can certainly appreciate it and I LOVE your outdoor space. It makes me want a cocktail and a great hand of poker. :)

Thanks for all the input folks! figured I should answer some questions and reply to some comments.
About the furniture outside. The balcony is actually covered so it protects the furniture from the elements. It is all fiberglass and vinyl though, so it is pretty resilient to begin with. We have never really had any problems with it getting wet or anything.
As for the couch facing the kitchen.....There is a five foot wall that separates those spaces partially. On that wall we have wire shelves and the tv mounted. We have vaulted 10ft ceilings so the wall is still low enough that is doesn't feel like this huge barrier between the rooms.
Some people seemed concerned about the lounge chair. We purchased it before we moved there as a sort of joint wedding gift for each other. It was the first piece of furniture that we got together and we both still love it.
Also the desk area. I actually agree that is is big and sometimes too much. Computers are, however, my husbands passion. The desk is his command station.
My weakness is chairs. I love chairs. Not including the couch, I have thirteen of them. I know it is probably too many. What can I say though? I like them. We actually use them all as well.

I think it's lovely. I'd be quite happy curling up in one of those thirteen chairs for a cup of tea and a read and snuggle with the cat.

Sorry, but having a couple of nice pieces, (the Eames ensemble) doesn't make the place.
I really think the living room pieces and layout could be rethought, opened up and improved.
The balcony pieces are nice, but not an impressive combination either.
Just tellin 'ya.

how exactly would you recommend that we rearrange the living room. We find that this layout works quite well and because of the irregular shape of the couch it is the best way that we could find. Circulation through the apartment is not impaired, the space is open to light from the sliding glass door and the computer station is given it's own separate area to serve it's different functional needs.
The computer desk is against the back wall because it somewhat conceals it visually while not having to divide up the actual volume of the space with a screen or curtain. When you enter the apartment it is in your peripheral vision and is not the first thing you see. When you are on the other side of the room the bulk of it is concealed by the back of the couch. Like I explained previously, getting rid of the computer is not an option. It is needed for my husbands profession. I do think that we worked it into the space that we were given quite well.
As for the balcony, I am sorry that you are not impressed with the combination. I guess that's what we get for not spending more that $35 for everything out there. Heck, we found the black vinyl chairs next to the dumpster.
I think more than just my Eames ensemble are nice pieces. Things don't need to have a fancy pedigree in order to be nice. Some of our more humble pieces that I like are our kitchen table that is actually an antique drafting table. We rescued that from a friend's basement. The orange chair next to the credenza is an old school chair that we pulled from and elementary that was being demolished. It my not be super special but is has interesting lines to it, is of excellent construction and it is great to have something to sit on while putting on your shoes. Oh, and our coffee table.....cardboard and elmer's glue. We made that ourselves in one Stargate filled day. It didn't cost a lot but it is a fun and unexpected piece.